New York and jazz music are inseparable. Improvised notes have been flying out of legendary venues such as Birdland and the Blue Note for decades, and the musicians per square inch is probably higher than anywhere else on the planet. No wonder that so many players head to the place dubbed “the Epicenter of Jazz” to ply their trade.

At the 2017 TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival, many performers from B.C. showcasing bands begun in the Big Apple. This has always been true. Some of these are long-term residents of the city, such as North Vancouver trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, who left the Wet Coast for the vibrant venues and proximity to the conurbation of the U.S. East Coast decades ago.

Others are recent transplants such as pianist Cat Toren, who have been drawn for the same reasons, but also for factors such as the relative affordability compared with our out-of-control cost of living and how it affects musician’s survival.

There are also a very few who have made the move in reverse, such as pianist John Stetch, or the avant-folk duo Dálava.

Whether performing this year or having done so in the past, all the jazz musicians we contacted for this story say they’re better for having made the move. Many will continue coast-to-coast commuting.

“New York was not easy in the ’90s and a lot of crazy s–t was going on, but what I got from the school of hard knocks got me where I am today,” said Jensen. “There is an energy that is a lot more intense and that faster pace and immediacy seems to put everyone in the same frame of mind to produce great music. People ask me if I’d ever move back to B.C., but the truth is I couldn’t afford it.”

Along with her sister, saxophonist Christine Jensen, and super, in-demand guitarist Ben Monder, the three musicians perform in a quintet rounded out by drummer Jon Wikan and bassist Fraser Hollins as Infinitude (June 26, 9 p.m. | Performance Works, Granville Island | Tickets: $35 all-in). The former three have been working together in numerous configurations over the years, with the intention of do something together. Every musician interviewed here says that this phrase is an ultimate cliché of the busy N.Y. scene.

“Oh yeah, there’s a lot of history between a lot of us and being on so many different projects,” said Ingrid Jensen. “But this somehow just fell in my sister and my laps, in a very natural and organic way. Christine pushed for it as a very good idea and, after one gig, it was really obvious that it was.”

Infinitude: Ingrid & Christine Jensen with Ben Monder is available on Whirlwind Recordings.

Toren relocated to Brooklyn, N.Y., a few years back. A member of the JUNO Award-winning ensemble Pugs & Crows, she premieres her latest project HUMAN KIND at this year’s festival (June 30, 9:30 p.m. | Innovations Series, The Ironworks | Tickets: $30 all-in). The politically themed compositions were inspired by 1960s’ free-jazz icons such as Alice and John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, as well as the resurgent fight for civil rights taking place below the border. Proceeds from the self-titled recording will benefit the American Civil Liberties Union.

“The benefit here, although I didn’t have problems in Vancouver, is that you can have your A-band, but also be certain to have excellent people to fill in on a moment’s notice,” said Toren. “HUMAN KIND came together the day after (U.S.) election day — which had everyone in a pretty difficult space — when we had a session to try out some new music I’d been writing and it really came together, so we decided to do an ACLU benefit album.”

Proving her comment about quality, fill-in players, Toren calls upon her local A-listers for HUMAN KIND’s local debut. She’ll be back to Canada later to play with Pugs & Crows at the Horsefly Festival in B.C. The band is working on new material as well. Toren says being Brooklyn-based is about the same, cost of living-wise, as Vancouver, but you can make a great deal more teaching there.

Guitarist/oud player Gord Grdina first began going to N.Y. around 2000 to study with legendary jazz bassist Gary Peacock. He’s been back and forth to the city ever since and echoes that the scene there is “ridiculous.” He echoes Toren’s positive feelings about the close-knit local scene, as well as the benefits of being somewhere with so many options, as key to developing one’s art. Grdina combines his trio and East Van Strings projects for a septet show, with special-guest, N.Y.-based tenor saxophonist Jon Irabagon (June 30, midnight | The Ironworks | Tickets: $21 all-in).

“Branching out has meant I feel drawn, and part of, two equally vibrant scenes with a New York quartet who have an album coming out in the fall, as well as an oud band with bassist Mark Helias and cellist Hank Roberts, with guest Hamin Honari,” said Grdina. “The ’80s’ N.Y.C. downtown scene that we’re still reaping the benefits of came about because you could live there for cheap. Great art doesn’t come out of a struggle to survive financially, great art comes from struggling through your artistic process.”

For Julia Ulehla and Aram Bajakian of the spectacular Moravian folk/avant-garde group Dálava (June 23, 9:30 p.m. | The Ironworks | Tickets: $30 all-in), finding the place to struggle through the artistic process turned out to be in the opposite direction. Ulehla is working on a PhD in ethnomusicology at the University of B.C., which is what brought the couple and their family to town. Bajakian was playing with well-established artists ranging from John Zorn and Diana Krall to the late Lou Reed. Vancouver turned out to be where the project found its creative sweet spot. Greenery and slower pacing proved right for a more pastoral vibe.

Dálava’s latest album, The Book of Transfigurations, has been named one of the most important recordings to ever come out of Vancouver by some local media.

“We did a record in New York City with Dálava which, while good, was based on how everyone is in a million different groups and you have two rehearsals and record because there isn’t any time,” said Bajakian. “The calibre of talent is so incredibly high that you can do that, but it’s really been better for this project to have the time to grow the group more gradually.”

“For me, having two little kids, I was kind of looking forward to having a little more contact with the natural world,” said Julia Ulehla. “So it was both an intellectual and family decision, but we certainly never saw this as a severing of ties with New York, because it’s so vital. But the kind of quiet mind that made this new album what it is was much easier to find here.”

Stetch echoes this sentiment. The Edmonton-born pianist left for N.Y. over 20 years ago, but had recently been considering leaving the city for Edmonton or Toronto. His partner made the decision for him as she lives in Vancouver. The latest album from the six-time, JUNO Award-nominated artist is with his dynamic new quartet, Vulneraville. Stetch has maintained the coast-to-coast commute and finds it fine; getting the best of both worlds as it were.

“I couldn’t have ever learned what I did and also improved so much if I hadn’t gone there, because the level of skill and attitude was so exceptional,” said Stetch. “That leads to even really great players being quite humble and a willingness to be a little bit good at everything in terms of genre.”

So there seems to be little doubt that there is a New York state of mind when it comes to jazz. One which is having its effects on our music scene and producing some wonderful sounds. But underlying both city’s jazz culture is the looming loss of creatives of all levels to cost-of-living relative to earning power. All the musicians interviewed here echoed this and Toren’s cousin, the saxophonist and bandleader Michael Blake, put it better than anyone else. His Tiddy Boom band is one all groove fans should check out.

“It was great, exciting and cheap when I came here (Vancouver) 30 years ago,” said Blake. “Now, I’m making the same money that I did then, which is pretty abysmal for all of us. Increasingly, you come in, make the contacts, do some time to build relationships and then leave because it just isn’t affordable.”

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.